Princess Aiko returns to school

Princess Aiko, the 8-year-old daughter of Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako, has begun attending school almost every day but continues to only take part in a limited number of classes with her mother accompanying her, a senior palace official said.

Princess Aiko, the royal couple’s only child, had stayed away from school at the end of the second grade in March after reportedly being shocked by the “rough behavior” of some boys in her grade at Gakushuin Primary School.

Issei Nomura, grand master of the Crown Prince’s household at the Imperial Household Agency, told a regular news conference Friday that Princess Aiko “is doing her best with support from her parents” and has been warmly accepted by her classmates.

Since becoming a third-grader at the beginning of April, the princess has attended school every day for up to the first three periods, except for April 20 and 21 when she was absent because of a cold, Nomura said. She also skipped school Friday, when a long outdoor sketching event was scheduled.

Princess Masako continues to accompany her daughter to and from school, upon advice from a doctor at the Crown Prince’s household.